Lzh Sarv Bu Pm Sk 100Nokkhittakāyassa

EXPOSITION OF NOKKHITTAKĀYASSA

Background

Nokkhittakāyassa is a provision in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the early Pāli Canon, concerning regulations on the deportment and conduct of a monk. The term “nokkhittakāya” means “not casting down the body” or “maintaining the body in proper form,” referring to preserving dignified deportment, not being careless or lacking decorum in gesture and bodily bearing.

The Vinaya Piṭaka is not simply an administrative code of precepts, but a comprehensive system of practice intended to protect the Sangha, create conditions for a calm mind, and build the venerable image of the renunciant. Regulations on deportment (iriyāpatha) such as Nokkhittakāyassa belong to the Sekhiya section, the minor training rules, established by the Buddha so that a monk may express dignity and wakefulness in every bodily action, thereby inspiring faith in the faithful and protecting his own pure mind.

The specific content of this provision has not yet been fully translated in the existing descriptive information, but according to the general context of the Vinaya and the meaning of the term, Nokkhittakāyassa concerns not letting the body become scattered or slovenly in daily activity, especially when in contact with laypeople, while receiving food, or when walking through villages.

Main Content

According to the Theravāda tradition, the Sekhiya rules were established as “trainings to be learned” (sekha, one in training), behaviors that must be practiced continuously in order to perfect deportment. Nokkhittakāyassa belongs to this group, requiring the monk not to cast down the body; that is, not to let the body remain in an uncontrolled state: leaning about carelessly, letting the limbs hang loosely, or sitting and lying without proper deportment in situations requiring dignity.

This is not attachment to mere formality, but arises from the principle of the mutual relation between body and mind: when the body is not upright, the mind is hard to settle. When bodily deportment lacks dignity, the mind easily becomes lax and forgetful of mindfulness. Conversely, when proper deportment is maintained, the mind naturally becomes alert and concentrated. The Buddha taught that a monk must walk, stand, sit, and lie down with mindfulness, expressing inner purity through outward bodily form.

In the Vinaya, violating the Sekhiya rules generally does not lead to a grave offense, but the monk must confess (āpatti-desanā), expressing the spirit of unceasing learning. Nokkhittakāyassa reminds us that practice is the work of every second, every gesture, not only when sitting in meditation or chanting sutras.

Practical Meaning

Nokkhittakāyassa has deep meaning for Buddhists in the modern age. In today’s society, when social manners are increasingly casual, maintaining proper deportment becomes even more important in distinguishing renunciants from the worldly. Deportment is not for display, but is an expression of respect for the Dharma, for oneself, and for others.

For laypeople, the spirit of Nokkhittakāyassa can be applied by keeping the body alert and mindful in daily life: sitting in meditation with proper posture, eating and drinking without haste, and walking and standing calmly. The body is the first foundation of the four establishments of mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna), contemplation of the body in the body.